Realme will be launching the Realme X7 series of smartphones on Sept. 1 in China. Since the past few days, Realme has been teasing on the different features of the Realme X7 series. Today, the different executives of the company shared official renders of the Realme X7 and Realme X7 Pro. While both phones have nearly identical designs, they sport an irresistible gradient colored rear.
The renders of the Realme X7 / X7 Pro smartphone show that the phone is equipped with quad cameras housed inside a rectangle-shaped camera module. There is a huge ‘Dare to Leap’ text placed on the right side of the device’s rear side. The gradient colored back seemingly shows different colors when viewed from different angles.
The Realme X7 and Realme X7 Pro features 6.43-inch and 6.55-inch OLED panels, respectively. Both phones have 32-megapixel front-facing cameras and 64-megapixel quad rear cameras. It is unclear which processor powers the Realme X7. However, the Realme X7 Pro could be equipped with Dimensity 1000+ and it could be rivaling the Redmi K30 Ultra 5G in the home market.
The Realme UI based Android 10 OS will come pre-installed on both phones. The Realme X7 houses a 4,300mAh battery whereas the Realme X7 Pro has a 4,500mAh battery. Both are likely to come with support for 65W fast charging. They are also equipped with in-display fingerprint readers. These phones are expected to come with up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage.
The company is also expected to announce Realme X7 Pro Ultra along with the X7 and X7 Pro phones. The handset is expected to come with advanced specs including 125W charging support. However, there is no official word on its launch.
Since its inception in 2014, OnePlus has been primarily selling flagship phones. In 2015, it tried in the mid-range market by launching the OnePlus X phone which encountered lackluster sales. There was no follow-up model for the OnePlus X and the series was discontinued in 2016. After mainly focusing on the flagship market for several years, OnePlus entered the mid-range market once again this year by launching the OnePlus Nord in July. Rumors are rife that the company will be launching some more Nord series phones this year. Yesterday, a tipster revealed that an upcoming OnePlus phone with Snapdragon 662 could be coming in September. Another leak has revealed that OnePlus could be launching a Snapdragon 460 powered handset in the near future.
A reliable tipster with @the_tech_guy Twitter handle has shared screenshots of OnePlus proprietary source code which mentions the different processors that power its devices. It reveals that there is OnePlus phone powered by the Snapdragon 460 mobile platform. The SoC is mentioned with the SM450 model number. The source code also mentions other processors such as Snapdragon 865, Snapdragon 855, and Snapdragon 765G. Phones powered by these chipsets have already launched, but SD460 powered phone seems to be an upcoming OnePlus Nord phone.
Upcoming budget smartphone from OnePlus comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 SOC (SM4250). pic.twitter.com/q9Dy5qIMdj
Next, there is a Snapdragon 662 / Snapdragon 665 powered OnePlus phone that is predicted to launch at the end of September. It may cost between Rs 16,000 (~$213) and Rs 18,000 (~$240) in India. A mystery OnePlus phone codenamed as Clover was spotted at Geekbench with 4 GB of RAM. It could either be the rumored SD662 or SD460 powered phon.
An 18W OnePlus charger was recently approved by the TUV Rheinland certification platform. The listing suggests that upcoming low-priced OnePlus phones could be shipping an 18W charger.
Last week, OPPO India started teasing the arrival of the OPPO F17 series in India. The company is yet to confirm the launch date of the F17 series. Rumors are rife that the OPPO F17 and F17 Pro smartphones may go official in early September. Several days ahead of the launch, reliable tipster Ishan Agarwal has shared the key specifications of the OPPO F17 and F17 Pro smartphones.
OPPO F17 Pro specifications (Rumored)
The new leak reveals that the OPPO F17 Pro weighs 164 grams and has 160.14 x 73.7 x 7.48mm dimensions. The phone will come in color editions such as Matte Black, Magic Blue, and Metallic White.
It houses a 6.43-inch S-AMOLED display that supports Full HD+ resolution. The screen features a pill-shaped cutout for housing dual front-facing cameras. The front camera setup includes a 16-megapixel main camera and a depth sensor. The backside of the OPPO F17 Pro has a square-shaped camera module. It comprises of a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad-camera system.
The MediaTek Helio P95 chipset is present under the hood of the OPPO F17 Pro. The device houses a 4,000mAh battery that will offer users with 30W VOOC Flash Charge technology. The handset will offer users with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
The OPPO F17 weighs 163 grams and it measures 159.82 x 72.8 x 7.45mm. Its color variants include Dynamic Orange, Navy Blue, and Classic Silver.
A 6.44-inch S-AMOLED Full HD+ display with waterdrop notch is available on the OPPO F17. It has a front camera of 16-megapixel and its rear has a 16-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad-camera system.
The Snapdragon 662 mobile platform is at the helm of the OPPO F17. It also houses a 4,000mAh battery with 30W Flash Charge support. The phone will come with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
If you are picking up a phone this year, chances that it has a battery capacity that is no less than 4000mAh. Several phones now ship with ~5000mAh batteries and there are a handful of devices with battery capacities that reach up to 6000mAh.
For this week’s poll, we want to know what you think the minimum battery capacity should be for a 2020 phone. So please take the poll below and also share your thought about smartphone batteries in the comment box below.
Last week, Cubot C30 was launched with some decent specifications in two different storage variants. The smartphone has now started retailing for the starting price of $149.99 for 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, while the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage version is available for $179.99. You can get a discount coupon by heading to the AliExpress product page.
The flagship killer – Cubot C30 houses exceptional features starting from a massive 6.4-inch display with a broader viewing experience. It also houses a punch-hole which encases a 32-megapixel selfie camera for quality video calling and selfies. THere’s quad-rear camera featuring a Samsung S5KGM1 48-megapixel primary camera, a 16-megapixel ultrawide angle lens, a 5-megapixel AF macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The cameras are capable enough to capture detailed photos.
It is powered with 2.0 GHz MediaTek Helio P60 SoC featuring a quad-rear camera built on the 12nm process. The smartphone is coupled with 8GB RAM and a 128/256GB internal storage module. It can be a better smartphone for multitasking in comparison with Redmi Note 9.
Cubot C30 supports contactless payments using NFC via Google Pay, while Redmi Note 9 misses on this feature too.
The device’s world premiere sale will be live until August 28th via AliExpress. There’s no other device offering such a value-for-money. However, the actual price of the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant usually retails for $169.99 but using a coupon code you can get it for $149.99. The discount is applicable only for the first 1000 units on AliExpress.
The OnePlus Nord is a 5G smartphone and the first mid-range device from the manufacturer in years. We already know there are more Nord phones in the pipeline, and now, details have surfaced with respect to one model which is expected to launch next month but that won’t be a 5G device.
The info comes from the leaker that goes by Chun (@Boby25846908) on Twitter. According to him, OPPO will launch a phone powered by the Snapdragon 662 chipset in early September and the phone will be priced under INR 20,000 (~$267). OnePlus will follow suit at the end of September with its own phone which may launch with the same Snapdragon 662 chipset or the Snapdragon 665 processor for a price tag between INR 16,000 (~$213) – INR 18,000 (~$240).
OPPO in early September: release a phone using Snapdragon 662 priced under 20k in India OnePlus at the end of September: release a phone using Snapdragon 662/665 priced around 16-18k in India pic.twitter.com/s26n3S27o2
The above price range will be the cheapest for a OnePlus phone and should entice a lot of buyers. However, if a phone is going to have that price tag, expect some corners to have been cut.
Indian e-tail giant Flipkart recently teased the launch of a new Gionee smartphone product for the massive Indian market. The device will is shown to bear the moniker Gionee Max is being promoted to pack a large battery. More details of the Gionee Max has appeared online.
A promotional post by Gionee on Twitter has revealed that the phone will pack a 5000mAH battery just like we predicted. It will likely be a budget phone despite the big battery capacity. The phone is also shown to come with a 6.1-inch HD screen covered by 2.5D Curved glass to prevent the display panel from scratches. The phone will also have a waterdrop notch while at the back, there will be a dual-camera setup aligned vertically in the top-left corner.
Flipkart’s product page for the Max shows the device will have 2GB of RAM as well as 32GB of storage onboard. The earlier teaser by the e-commerce giant shows the will be priced under INR6,000 (around $80).
The rest of the specs like the chipset and cameras are currently unknown. So, we’ll have to wait until the company officially unveils the product on August 25 which is just two days away.
Nokia recently teased the launch of new smartphones for the Indian market. The event which will take place on August 25 will also see the launch of a feature phone, as shown on the teaser poster. he Finnish company will also hold some launch event before the year runs out. Among the products that would be unveiled, there will be 4G feature phones. Details and renders of Nokia’s upcoming 4G feature phones have appeared online.
One of the products is a new variant of the Nokia 215 that will likely be called Nokia 215 (2020) or Nokia 215 4G. This is touted to be the most affordable 4G phone in Nokia Mobile’s phone portfolio, but the phone will be without a camera. Next is the Nokia 225, and as can be seen on the renders. The 225 will come with 4G LTE and support for apps like YouTube and Facebook.
Nokia 215 2020
According to the report, the Nokia 225 was cleared by FCC bearing the model numbers TA-1316/TA-1282. The date on the display indicates that these devices were planned to be out on 3rd August, but probably because of the pandemic, the launch date was pushed back.
Nokia 225 4G
The source wasn’t certain about the name of the third 4G feature phone Nokia is got under its belt. The device carries the codename Nokia Leo Basic. The Nokia Leo is also expected to feature support for Whatsapp, Facebook, as from being a 4G phone. Further, there is a dedicated button on the side of the phone which is likely a Google Assistant button. The feature phones are likely powered by KaiOS.
Nokia Leo
Details of the pricing and launch date are still sketchy but you’ll agree the feature phones which will likely be affordable are worth looking forward to.
If all goes well, Apple will announce the iPhone 12 series in October. It has been reported that when the new iPhones arrive, Apple will discontinue some.
iPhone 11 Pro Max may get discontinued after the launch of the iPhone 12 series
The source of the info is the Twitter account @iAppleTimes, and according to the leaker, Apple may discontinue the iPhone XR after the iPhone 12 launches. They cite the availability of the more powerful iPhone SE 2020 as a better alternative rather than reducing the price of the XR again.
Apple to discontinue iPhone XR and iPhone 11 Pro models after iPhone 12 launch. iPhone 11 at $549
For those who want a bigger display, the source says the iPhone 11 which is actually the successor to the XR should get a price cut and start at $549. The phone currently has a starting price of $699 and $150 off does sound like a good price slash.
It has also been reported that Apple will discontinue the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max seeing as they now have successors. Apple took a similar decision last year when it launched the iPhone 11 series as it discontinued the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.
The new iPhone 12 series will come with more powerful processors and better cameras.
It took a while before Realme adopted a new design for its mobile phones. However, even when it still used the old design, it did come up with some really unique colorways such as the Realme X Onion and Garlic Master Editions.
Today, Madhav Sheth, the CEO of the young company shared images showing prototype phones with really interesting designs that didn’t make it to the final stage.
We constantly evolve our design strategy at #realme for the youth. Our smartphones undergo an extensive screening process before the talented #realmeDesignStudio picks the most unique one that instantly stands out. What do you expect the Faster7 to look like? #BuildingTheFaster7pic.twitter.com/97IY9JGbZA
As you can see in the two photos, Realme did experiment with various designs (read camera housing and placement), some of which are familiar and others that are pretty unique.
There is also a phone with the cookie camera housing design made popular by Motorola. We can also spot a few with a horizontal camera setup similar to what we have seen on LG phones.
The camera housing is not the only thing Realme has played with. The images also show some pretty interesting colorways. The recurring theme for some of these designs is the vertical color bands running from top to bottom. I particularly like the second phone from the left on the top row.
Realme is not the first to share images of prototype designs and it most likely will not be the last. The move is a way to share with fans what goes on behind the scenes when designing a phone.
Which of these designs do you like best? Do let us know in the comment box below.
Huami’s Amazfit line of smartwatches is quite popular and if you own an Amzafit smartwatch, you most likely use the Amazfit companion app. At least that is what it used to be called before it got a new name.
Yes, the Amazfit app has now been renamed on the Play Store. The app now goes by Zepp (formerly Amazfit) which seems like a pretty strange development. If you want to know what prompted the change in name, the app description provides an explanation.
It says the decision is to bring a more comprehensive and professional health management experience to a wider audience. It also says the official renaming will be on August 25 and will also include a new app icon. Huami assures users that Amazfit devices will continue to work as normal with the renamed and updated app.
Zepp is actually a company known for its smart sport accessories and sensors. If you do a search on the Play Store, you will find special Zepp apps made for its sensors for sports such as soccer, tennis, and golf. The developer for these apps is now Anhui Huami Information technology Co. Ltd, following the acquisition two years ago.
We have a feeling Huami plans to merge all the apps together which actually makes sense. So the new Zepp app should work for Zepp sensors and Amazfit products.
The Pixel 4a already launched albeit later than expected. However, Google revealed there will also be a 5G version that will be sold as the Pixel 4a 5G. Ahead of its release scheduled for this fall, renders of the phone have surfaced on the web.
The source of these CAD-based renders is OnLeaks and he has partnered with 91Mobiles this time.
Just like the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 5 (whose renders were leaked yesterday), the Pixel 4a 5G will also have a punch-hole display. Google has made no attempt to switch the position of the hole, so you have it at the top left corner just like on the other phones.
On the back, the phone has a squircle camera housing that is home to dual cameras and an LED flash. There is also a fingerprint scanner on the back even though the display is an OLED panel.
The Pixel 4a 5G’s display is said to be between 6.1-6.2 inches, a bump up from the 5.81-inch screen of the LTE version. The dimensions provided are 153.9 x 74.0 x 8.6 millimeters. The thickness goes up to 9.5 millimeters when you factor in the camera bump.
The Pixel 4a 5G is expected to have a plastic unibody with power and volume control buttons on the right, a 3.5mm audio jack at the top, and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. It has also been reported that the device will be available in black and white color options, the latter which will be available after the device is launched.
A new smartwatch has recently been certified by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. The watch should launch under the Huawei brand but the model number is different from those we already know.
The watch has model number TIA-B09 which is different from the model numbers of that of the upcoming Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro (VID-B19) and that of the Honor Watch GS Pro (KAN-B19).
Huawei trademarked the “Mate Watch” this year and the smartwatch was rumored to launch alongside the Mate 40 series, but there is a chance it may not be announced this year. So which smartwatch is this? There is a high chance that this is the Huawei Watch Fit that leaked a few weeks ago.
The Huawei Watch Fit has a 1.64-inch AMOLED rectangular display. The watch can track running, swimming, and cycling activities, and has a built-in GPS and barometer. It also has sleep tracking, a heart rate sensor, and boasts a 10-day battery life. It has been reported to have a price tag of €119 and is expected to launch next month.
HMD Global is about to announce two new phones in India. The official Nokia Mobile India account released a teaser video earlier today that shows the two phones will launch soon.
The video shows the outline of the two phones, and from it, we can see that one is a feature phone while the other is a smartphone.
There is a high chance that the smartphone is the Nokia C3 which appeared in a leak earlier today. The outline in the video matches the image of the Nokia C3 from today’s leak. The identity of the feature phone is unknown but it is expected to be a 4G feature phone.
The Nokia C3 is an entry-level device that already launched in China at the beginning of this month. It has a 5.99-inch HD+ display, a UNISOC processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. There is a single 8MP camera on the back of the phone along with an LED flash and a fingerprint scanner and a 5MP camera is in front for selfies. The phone packs a removable 3040mAh battery that charges via a MicroUSB port.
Based on the new teaser, HMD global will be announcing three new products next week including the already confirmed Nokia 5.3.
The Axon 20 5G will launch as the first smartphone in the world with an in-display camera. The mid-range phone will be unveiled on September 1, and the president of ZTE Mobile, Ni Fei, has been teasing us with new details. The latest is an image that shows the color variants the phone will be available in.
We already know the phone will come in black but the new render shows the phone in three other colors. There is a really pretty purple variant alongside gold and sky blue colorways. All four colors have light streaks that run across their backs.
The top executive also created a poll asking fans to choose the official names for the colorways. The option with the highest number of votes will be chosen.
The Axon 20 5G will have a 6.29-inch AMOLED screen with a fingerprint scanner underneath. It will be powered by the Snapdragon 765G Mobile Platform paired with up to 12GB of RAM while storage options will go up to 256GB.
The device will pack quad rear cameras in a 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP configuration while the in-display selfie camera is a 32MP sensor. ZTE will ship the phone with a 4120mAh battery with support for fast charging and it will run Android 10 out of the box.
We are just a few days from the launch of the Zenfone 7 on August 26, and live photos have surfaced that give us an early look at the flagship. The photos were posted on Weibo earlier today.
ASUS has added an extra camera sensor to the back of the phone but we are not sure what type of lens it has. A leak from a few days ago says the third sensor is a ToF camera and it has been paired with a 64MP Sony IMX686 main camera and a 12MP ultrawide angle camera.
An additional camera is not the only change with respect to the design of the Zenfone 7. As you can see in the image above, there is no rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
It has been reported that the device has an LCD display which means the fingerprint scanner should be on the side, possibly buried under the power button. However, we can’t seem to see any indentation on the sides of the phone which is a common feature of phones with side-mounted fingerprint scanners. Hopefully, we get to see another image before the launch that shows the fingerprint scanner.
The Zenfone 7 is shown in blue and is covered in glass. We hope there will be more colorways available compared to its predecessor. The leaker also shared a picture of its retail box which is quite pretty big.
Elephone always work to bring affordable yet useful smartphones for its fans and potential customers. The company always keeps cultivating new ideas to bring down the manufacturing cost without compensating the quality. Similarly, Elephone launched Elephone U5 featuring some splendid specification at an attractive price of $159.99. The smartphone is available at a limited-time discount from Elephone Official store.
In a comparison of Elephone U5 with Elephone E10 Pro, the newly launched smartphone fares well against the old buddy in almost every aspect. The Elephone U5 is the latest offering with some efficient and upgraded hardware over the Elephone E10 Pro. Let’s see the full comparison of Elephone U5 vs Elephone E10 Pro below.
Performance
Elephone U5 proudly houses a powerful Helio P60 SoC with an octa-core processor and a Mali G72 MP3 GPU. It is coupled with 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage which is enough for multitasking. Meanwhile, the Elephone E10 Pro possesses an Helio P22 chipset comprising an octa-core processor and PowerVR GE8320 GPU.
Display
Elephone U5 houses a large 6.4-inch Full HD+ display having a resolution of 1080 x 2310 pixels. The Elephone E10 Pro features a 6.5-inch HD display with a resolution of 720 x 1560 pixels. The Elephoen U5 can bring you a better viewing experience with crispier photos and videos. However, both the smartphones feature a punch-hole for its front camera.
Camera
Elephone U5 smartphone packs a better 24-megapixel selfie camera which can capture quality selfies and can even enhance video calling feature. There’s a quad-rear camera featuring a 48-megapixel primary sensor, a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.
On the other side, Elephone E10 Pro packs a 13-megapixel selfie camera while having the same quad-rear camera.
Other features
Apart from the above differences, both the smartphones features some similarities. Elephone E10 Pro and Elephone U5 packs Side Fingerprint sensor, supports NFC and have Bluetooth 5.0 for easy connectivity. Both the smartphones carry a 4000 mAh battery which can easily withstand for a day.
Samsung debuted One UI 2.5 based on Android 10 with Galaxy Note20 series and Galaxy Tab S7 series. It is an incremental update to One UI 2.1 released earlier this year with Galaxy S20 series. Since the new Note is on sale now, the company has begun to roll out the software shipped with it to the current-gen Galaxy S series. In the official announcement post, Samsung even revealed the list of devices that will be getting the new One UI 2.5 update.
The first version of One UI was introduced with Android Pie update in 2018. Since then, it has been updated with new features and optimization with the release of new flagships and Android 10. The latest version is One UI 2.5 and it brings the following features.
Camera
Pro Video mode: Support for controlling smartphone’s mic direction and external microphones.
8K video recording at 24fps
21:9 cinematic aspect ratio video recording
Samsung Notes
Audio Bookmarks: Synchronize notes with audio recordings of lectures or meeting
Support for importing and editing PDF files
Auto save and syn between Galaxy smartphones, Galaxy tablets, and PC
New template and background color options
Add handwritten text to typed documents
Samsung DeX
Wireless DeX support on TVs with Miracast
Support for multi-finger gestures to switch between applications
Connectivity
Share WiFi password with nearby Galaxy devices in the contact list
Know the speed of WiFi connections before connecting
Reminder
Preset time and location for upcoming meetings and tasks
Anyway, do note that all the above-mentioned features of One UI 2.5 may not be available for all the eligible/supported devices listed below.
Samsung One UI 2.5 Eligible/Supported Devices
Galaxy S Series
Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Galaxy S20+ 5G
Galaxy S20+
Galaxy S20 5G
Galaxy S20
Galaxy S10 5G
Galaxy S10+
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S10e
Galaxy S10 Lite
Galaxy S9+
Galaxy S9
Galaxy Note Series
Galaxy Note10+ 5G
Galaxy Note10+
Galaxy Note10 5G
Galaxy Note10
Galaxy Note10 Lite
Galaxy Note9
Galaxy Z Series
Galaxy Z Flip 5G
Galaxy Z Flip
Galaxy Fold 5G
Galaxy Fold
The One UI 2.5 update for these Samsung Galaxy smartphones will be rolled out in batches across the world in the coming days. Unfortunately, the older Galaxy Tab S series will not be getting it even though the Galaxy Tab S7 series comes pre-installed with this new software.
2020 is the year of upper-midrange phones and flagship killers. Despite prices hiked a lot during this year, there is a lot of value for money devices even for power users. In this article, we are comparing three of the best flagship killers out there in terms of value for money. We are talking about the newly-announced iQOO 5, the Redmi K30 Ultra which celebrated Xiaomi’s 10th anniversary alongside the Mi 10 Ultra, and the OnePlus 8 which reached very good prices because it is a phone released in the first half of 2020 (but still very actual). Let’s discover together who is the best.
Vivo iQOO 5 vs Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra vs OnePlus 8
Vivo iQOO 5
Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra
OnePlus 8
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
160 x 75.6 x 8.3 mm, 197 g
163.3 x 75.4 x 9.1 mm, 213 grams
160.2 x 72.9 x 8 mm, 180 g
DISPLAY
6.56 inches, 1080 x 2376p (Full HD+), AMOLED
6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 395 ppi, AMOLED
6.55 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Fluid AMOLED
Triple 50 + 13 + 13 MP camera, f/1.9 + f/2.5 + f/2.2
16 MP f/2.5 front camera
Quad 64 + 13 + 5 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.4, f/2.2 and f/2.4
20 MP front camera
Triple 48 + 16 + 2 MP camera, f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.4
16 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
4500 mAh, fast charging 55W
4500 mAh, fast charging 33W
4300 mAh, fast charging 30W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot, reverse charging, 5G
Dual SIM slot, 5G
Dual SIM slot, 5G
Design
None of these devices has the best design you can get from a phone, but they are all pretty nice. I like the OnePlus 8 with its curved screen and compact camera module, but it is a matter of tastes. In each case you get a premium design including an aluminum frame and a glass back. The OnePlus 8 and the iQOO 5 have a single punch-hole display, while Redmi K30 Ultra has a full-screen panel thanks to the presence of a motorized pop-up camera coming out of the upper border of the phone.
Display
iQOO 5, Redmi K30 Ultra, and OnePlus 8 come with great displays, despite we are not talking about flagship-class panels. They all feature the HDR10+ certification for very nice image quality on streaming platforms, and they have a Full HD+ resolution. The main difference which makes iQOO 5 and Redmi K30 Ultra better than OnePlus 8 is the refresh rate: you get 120 Hz with iQOO 5 and Redmi K30 Ultra, while OnePlus 8 has just 90 Hz. The Redmi K30 Ultra has a slightly wider diagonal than its two rivals. But at the end of the day, we are not talking about big differences. Note that iQOO 5 lacks stereo speakers, while Redmi K30 Ultra and OnePlus 8 have them.
Hardware/Software
Even when it comes to the hardware department, these devices are not so different. They all come with flagship-level hardware. Redmi K30 Ultra is inferior because it is fueled by the Dimensity 1000+ chipset instead of the Snapdragon 865 found on the iQOO 5 and OnePlus 8. In order to give you an idea of the performance of this chipset, we can tell you that Dimensity 1000+ got a score of fewer than 350,000 points on AnTuTu, while Snapdragon 865 scored over 400,000 points. Further, with Redmi K30 Ultra you get max 8 GB of RAM, while iQOO 5 and OnePlus 8 go up to 12 GB.
Camera
The iQOO 5 has the most stunning cameras, at least on the paper. It features the same 50 MP gimbal camera found on the Vivo X50 Pro+, paired with a portrait lens with 2x optical zoom and a 13 MP ultrawide sensor. This camera department is able to record 8K videos. Right after, we got the OnePlus 8 which is the only one to support OIS. With the Redmi K30 Ultra, you actually get more sensors but inferior photo quality.
Battery
iQOO 5 and Redmi K30 Ultra have the same 4500 mAh battery capacity, which is bigger than the 4300 mAh battery of the OnePlus 8. Unfortunately, we did not test their battery life, but we believe that iQOO 5 should last more because it has a Snapdragon 865 chipset instead of the Dimensity 1000+ found on the Redmi K30 Ultra. With the iQOO 5, you even get a faster charging tech with a 55W power.
Price
iQOO 5 is priced about €490/$578 in its base variant, Redmi K30 Ultra starts from €330/$390, and OnePlus 8 begins at €479/$565 but it is currently more affordable thanks to a lot of street prices. But despite that, the iQOO 5 wins the comparison because of its great cameras, 120 Hz display, big battery, and amazing hardware.
Last week, Xiaomi founder and CEO, Lei Jun gave a long speech to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand. Apart from reviewing its journey over the past 10 years, Xiaomi also released a bunch of products to celebrate its anniversary – Mi 10 Ultra, Redmi K30 Ultra, and Mi TV LUX Transparent TV. Today we’ve got the Mi 10 Ultra in for review. It’s the most powerful Xiaomi handset in the market right now and let’s see if it lives up to its ‘Ultra’ reputation.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Review: Design
The Mi 10 Ultra we’ve got is the transparent version, which is one of the most special designs among all Mi-phones. From the transparent cover, we can see the 50W wireless charging sensor and an NFC sensor. Apart from these two main components, the internal structure is still covered by a layer of protection. You can also see the 10th-anniversary edition sticker on the back.
As compared to Mi 10 Pro, the Ultra makes up for almost all of its drawbacks. Not happy with the Mi 10 Pro’s display? Now you can have a 120Hz AMOLED display with better colors on the Ultra. The 50W charging speed not fast enough for you? Now you can have the up to 120W fast charging to give your Ultra a full charge in just 23 mins. Were you satisfied with the Pro’s camera performance? Now the Ultra’s new camera setup is even better than the Pro!
Apart from these improvements, all the good features from the Pro have been retained on the Ultra, such as the excellent dual-stereo speakers and the great performance.
However, we also found a new drawback of the Ultra. The hands-on feeling is not as comfortable as we had on the Mi 10 and Pro. The weight of 223g and the thickness of 9.5mm has made it one of those bulky flagships. Otherwise, the experience with the Mi 10 Ultra has been pretty great so far.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Review: Display
Let’s take a closer look at its improved display. Although the Ultra’s display panel is no longer from the famous supplier, Samsung, it still got improved with 10bits color output and 120Hz refresh rate based on the same level of color accuracy.
As we observed, the new display applied the same delta arrangement as the Mi 10’s display, which is recognized as one of the best pixel arrangements for a smartphone display. You also get a high 120Hz refresh rate. This higher refresh rate not only offers system fluency and smoother gaming experience but also better viewing experience when watching 120Hz professional videos without frame loss.
For low-framerate video playback, unfortunately, we did not find any frame interpolation solution as the MEMC solution on the Ultra similar to what we saw on the OnePlus 8 Pro.
As for gaming, the boost in performance is obvious given the higher refresh rate and a higher sampling rate of the display, eventually leveraging the CPU’s surplus performance and making the most of the Snapdragon 865.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Review: 120W Charging & Battery Life
Now let’s check out the super-charging tech on the phone before we move on to the other areas. The included charger is the first one that can achieve over 100W charging efficiency. As we connected the charging cable, the charging animation showed a visible charging speed that we’ve not seen before. It’s pretty insane that it only took around 9 mins to get a 50% on its 4500mAh battery; and the full-charge test was finished in 24mins.
In 120Hz display mode, we watched videos for 2 hours and then spent another hour on social media apps for the battery life test. The Ultra eventually had 77% of the power left. And then 2-more-hour gaming in PUBG Mobile consumed another 35% of the power. The overall battery life is pretty decent and it should be good enough for an entire day’s usage.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Review: Gaming & Performance
As for its performance, according to the benchmark apps, it’s not much different from what we got on the Mi 10 and Pro.
So let’s move on to the gaming test. In PUBG Mobile, although we unlocked the 120fps framerate, the Ultra ran the game at 120fps for a while and then automatically shifted down to 60fps framerate. It’s probably because the phone detected a heating problem and attempted to readjust the frame rate to a more stable state. The average framerate for PUBG eventually remained at 76.9fps, which is not an excellent result for a phone running snapdragon 865. But it should not be a problem for the Ultra to run PUBG at a stable 60fps.
And then we decided to run Nimian Legends as a stress test. Unfortunately, due to the framerate locking issue, the average framerate on the Ultra is only around 57.4fps. So, it seems that the Ultra couldn’t unleash the full potential of both, the 865 chipset and the 120Hz display, in some games.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra’s dual stereo speakers also perform really well. You can watch the video review above to see the speakers in action.
The biggest highlight of the Ultra is the new camera setup with 120x digital zooming capacity. The top camera sensor is the telephoto camera featuring a 5x optical zoom and up to 120 times digital zooming with OIS assistance. The second one is a portrait camera supporting a 2x optical zoom. The third sensor is the main camera. And the last one is a 128-degree super-wide-angle camera, which probably is the widest angle lens that we’ve seen on a smartphone camera.
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Let’s check out their samples. The main camera is one of the best cameras we’ve experienced, especially because it’s really good at reserving rich detail from bright to dark areas with super high dynamic range and correct exposure. As compared to Mi10’s 108MP sensor, the Ultra’s new 48MP sensor also presented good sharpness and excellent texture. Meanwhile, the color is also impressive as we turn on the HDR.
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The Portrait camera also brings visible improvement. The bokeh effect is very smooth and natural. And the edge detection of the subject is pretty accurate when handling relatively simple background and edges. Even so, when we took photos under complicated light conditions, you might find a bit of unnatural blurring. But it’s not a serious problem.
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The 128-degree wide-angle camera’s samples have excellent colors with a good dynamic range. Unlike most Android phones, the Ultra’s wide-angle camera is much more practical as it also achieved great sharpness and clarity. A small problem of the wide-angle samples is the lens distortion. We were not surprised that the edge distortion may occur to the samples as they have quite a wide angle-of-view. But I have to say that under most conditions, the wide-angle samples and main camera samples would have a similar white balance. And thanks to the f/2.2 big aperture, the wide-angle camera still performed well under low light conditions.
A minor issue with the main camera sensor is focus detection. In rare cases, the camera was not able to quickly auto-focus close subjects or sometimes it went out of focus.
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Both primary and ultra-wide-angle sensors do really well at night, especially with the night mode. It not only has a brighter and clearer image than the normal mode but manages the exposure really well. The night mode reserved rich detail for both sensors to achieve a wider dynamic range. Meanwhile, the noise control is just perfect and I can easily say that the Mi 10 Ultra’s night camera performance is among the best in the market.
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As for its telephoto camera, although we have to admire Xiaomi’s innovation, 120x zoom is not really that useful. At least for now, it’s just like a promotional stunt for the 10th-anniversary edition and doesn’t add much value. But regular 5x and 10x samples look as good as its predecessors.
You can check out the full resolution camera samples from the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra here.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Review: Verdict
So that’s it, there’s no doubt the Mi 10 Ultra is the best Xiaomi smartphone product of 2020. With Ultra’s release, Xiaomi is trying to deliver a message that the 10-year-old brand is capable of developing a extremely premium and advanced smartphone in this competitive market. Indeed, it feels as if the Mi 10 Ultra marks the start of a new chapter for Xiaomi (it’s also worth mentioning the Mi 10 Ultra is the top-rated camera phone on DxOMark right now!).
The Mi series is no longer about basic cost-effective flagships. And the Mi 10 Ultra is a prime example of how Xiaomi can make ultra-premium phones for the ultra-premium segment. You are really getting 120% value for your money here.
Unfortunately, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is not slated to land in the international markets anytime soon. However, you can get it from retailers like Giztop for around $800-$900.
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